How the auction at Chisinau International Airport (CIA) is organized, for the lease of commercial spaces previously controlled by Ilan Shor, is a classic example of corruption. This is the opinion of former premier Ion Chicu, currently chairman of the Party for the Development and Consolidation of Moldova (PDCM). Chicu told N4’s “Puterea a Patra” program that this tender launched by the CIA would cause damage to the state budget.
“In 2013, the airport was concessioned with all its elements, including the runway, baggage reception, and distribution infrastructure. All these require investment. “Now, what do they want to do? They want to leave on the shoulders of the state the elements that require investment, that the state should allocate every year, from the state budget for the runway. There are tens of millions, and the elements of this complex, which bring profit, give them to Maia Sandu’s friends, who, as they said, were attracted by Maia Sandu,” Ion Chicu explained.
The former prime minister also highlighted that the new specifications for the tendering process included “obscure provisions”, designed to encourage the organizers to ignore internal contradictions and provisions in the legislation.
“To convince Moldovans that there is no corruption, it is now written in the tender specifications that no matter what is done, how the tender is awarded, those who organized it have impunity or how is this clause? I mean they can’t be prosecuted for this… can you imagine how they work there? “It’s not big corruption,” God forbid!” added Chicu.
Only two companies registered for the first tender at the airport – Lagardere Travel Retail, which registered shortly before the tender was launched, and LeBridge, which submitted its paperwork just minutes before the submission deadline.
According to the timetable for the new tender, the submission period is 11-25 March. Applications will be examined on 26-28 March and the actual tender is scheduled for 29 March.